Variable canted coil spring cross section

ABSTRACT

A canted coil spring includes a plurality of canted coils generally canted relative to a centerline extending through the coils. At least one coil when viewed in the direction of the centerline appears to have a non-elliptical shape and a non-circular shape when the at least one coil is in the unbiased state. The plurality of coils is generally canted at a first coil angle relative to the center line. The at least one coil includes at least one section canted at a second coil angle relative to the centerline. The second coil angle is different from the first coil angle when the at least one coil is in an unbiased state.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 12/882,797,filed Sep. 15, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,590,867 which claims thebenefit of the filing date of Provisional Application Ser. No.61/242,703, filed Sep. 15, 2009, the contents of each of which areexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF ART

The present application generally relates to canted coil springs, andmore particularly, to methods, apparatus, and systems related to acanted coil spring having a variable canted coil spring cross section.

BACKGROUND

Conventional canted coil springs have tangential points of contactbetween each coil and one or more flat surfaces of a groove in which thespring is partly or fully received. The noted tangential points ofcontact are formed by the elliptical coils of the spring contacting theone or more flat surfaces of the groove. Because contact between thecoils and the groove occurs at one or more points, a limited contactsurface area is available for thermal and/or electrical conductivity.

SUMMARY

A canted coil spring according to aspects of the disclosure includes aplurality of canted coils generally canted relative to a centerlineextending through the coils. At least one coil when viewed in thedirection of the centerline comprises a non-elliptical shape and anon-circular shape when the at least one coil is in the unbiased state.The plurality of coils is generally canted at a first coil anglerelative to the center line. At least one coil includes at least onesection canted at a second coil angle relative to the centerline. Thesecond coil angle is different from the first coil angle when the atleast one coil is in an unbiased state.

A canted coil spring assembly or system according to aspects of thedisclosure includes a groove having at least one flat surface and acanted coil spring comprising a plurality of canted coils generallycanted relative to a center line extending through the coils. At leastone coil when viewed in the direction of the centerline has anon-elliptical shape and a non-circular shape when the at least one coilis in the unbiased state. Furthermore, at least one coil contacts the atleast one flat surface with a greater contact area when the at least onecoil is in the unbiased state than an unbiased coil of a similar cantedcoil spring having an elliptical shape or a circular shape.

A method of manufacturing a canted coil spring according to aspects ofthe disclosure comprises fabricating a wire in a canted helicalconfiguration thereby forming a plurality of coils canted at a firstcoil angle relative to a centerline extending through the coils, andbending at least one section of at least one coil to a second coil anglerelative to the centerline. The first coil angle is different from thesecond coil angle when the at least one coil is in an unbiased state.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present assemblies andmethods will become appreciated as the same become better understoodwith reference to the specification, claims and appended drawingsbriefly described below.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary connector with acanted coil spring.

FIG. 1B is a top view of the canted coil spring of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is another cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1A withthe canted coil spring.

FIG. 1D is a side view of a canted coil spring provided according toaspects of the present apparatus, system, and method.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a connector having a canted coilspring with an elliptical or circular cross section.

FIG. 2B is a top view of the connector and the canted coil spring ofFIG. 2A showing contact between a coil of the canted coil spring and aflat surface of the connector.

FIG. 2C is another cross-sectional view of the connector and the cantedcoil spring of FIGS. 1A-1D.

FIG. 2D is a top view of the connector and the canted coil spring ofFIG. 2C showing contact between a coil of the canted coil spring and aflat surface of the connector.

FIGS. 3A-3D are a top view, a side view, a bottom view and across-sectional view of a canted coil spring provided according toaspects of the present apparatus, system and method, where contactbetween the canted coil spring and flat surfaces of a groove of aconnector is shown.

FIGS. 4A-4D are a top view, a side view, a bottom view and across-sectional view of another canted coil spring provided according toaspects of the present apparatus, system and method, where contactbetween the canted coil spring and flat surfaces of a groove of aconnector is shown.

FIGS. 5A-5D are a top view, a side view, a bottom view and across-sectional view of another canted coil spring provided according toaspects of the present apparatus, system and method, where contactbetween the canted coil spring and flat surfaces of a groove of aconnector is shown.

FIG. 6 is a side view of another canted coil spring provided accordingto aspects of the present apparatus, system and method wherein each coilof the spring is shown to have two secondary coil angles.

FIGS. 7A-7B are a top view and a side view of one example of a cantedcoil spring according to the embodiment of FIG. 6, where contact betweenthe canted coil spring and flat surfaces of a groove of a connector isshown.

FIGS. 8A-8B are a top view and a side view of another example of acanted coil spring according to the embodiment of FIG. 6, where contactbetween the canted coil spring and flat surfaces of a groove of aconnector is shown.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are a side view and a cross-sectional view of a cantedcoil spring provided according to another aspect of the presentapparatus, system and method with the canted coil spring shown toinclude alternately configured coils of circular or ellipticalcross-sectional shape and coils of non-circular or non-ellipticalcross-sectional shape, where the coils have approximately the same coilwidth.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a side view and a cross-sectional view of a cantedcoil spring provided according to another aspect of the presentapparatus, system and method with the canted coil spring shown toinclude alternately configured coils of circular or ellipticalcross-sectional shape and coils of non-circular or non-ellipticalcross-sectional shape, where the coils have different coil widths.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are side views illustrating an exemplary method offabricating a canted coil spring.

FIGS. 12A-12C are a side view, a cross-sectional view, and a top view ofanother exemplary canted coils spring provided according aspects of thepresent apparatus, system and method and showing the spring contactingflat surfaces of a groove of a connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of embodiments of a canted coilspring having a variable canted coil spring cross section and methodsfor making the same and is not intended to represent the only forms inwhich the present assemblies and methods may be constructed or used. Thedescription sets forth the features and the steps for using andconstructing the canted coil springs and methods in connection with theillustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the sameor equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished by differentembodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spiritand scope of the assemblies and methods. As denoted elsewhere herein,like element numbers are intended to indicate like or similar elementsor features.

As used herein, a cross-sectional shape of a coil of a canted coilspring refers to the shape of the coil as it appears when viewed in thedirection of a centerline C extending through the canted coil spring.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1C, partial cross-sectional views of anexemplary connector 10 are shown. The connector 10 may be used in anumber of industries, such as consumer electronics, electricaltransmissions, automotive, aerospace, medical, and military, to name afew. The connector 10 may include a shank 12 and a housing 14. The shank12, which can also be a pin, a shaft or a rod, and the housing 14include retention grooves 18 and 16, respectively, for receiving atleast a portion of the canted coil spring 20. In the exemplaryembodiments described herein, the groove 16 is defined by a side wall 17a, side wall 17 b, and a top wall 17 c located between the side walls 17a and 17 b, all of which are collectively referred to as walls 17 of thegroove 16. The groove 18 is defined by side wall 17 a, side wall 17 b,and a bottom wall 17 d located between the side walls 17 a and 17 b, allof which are collectively referred to as walls 17 of the groove 18. Inthe exemplary embodiments disclose herein, each of the sidewalls 17 a,17 b, the top wall 17 c, and the bottom wall 17 d has a flat surface forcontacting the coils 22 of the canted coil spring 20. In the following,the groove 16 or the groove 18 may collectively be referred to as thegroove 16 when generally describing contact between a canted coil spring20 and the grooves 16 and/or 18. The canted coil spring 20 may provide alatching or a locking connection (shown in FIG. 1C) between the shank 12and the housing 14, function as part of a seal assembly for sealing theconnection between the shank 12 and the housing 14, and/or serve as aconduit for heat transfer and/or electrical current transfer between theshank 12 and the housing 14. In alternative embodiments, the housing orthe shank but not both has a groove so that the connector providesholding capability.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a cross section of the connector 10 and a cantedcoil spring 30 is shown. The canted coil spring 30 has an elliptical ora circular cross section with an outer diameter or coil width CW thatsubstantially corresponds to the width GW of the groove 16 (the shaft 12of FIG. 2A is shown without a groove 18). With the groove 16 beingrectangular and the canted coil spring 30 being elliptical or circularin cross section, contacts between the coils 32 of the canted coilspring 30 and the flat surfaces of the walls 17 of the groove 16 whenthe coils 32 are in an unbiased state occur at a tangential contactsurface area TC shown in FIG. 2B. The contact surface area TC is shownwith dashed lines around a contact point P, which mathematicallycharacterizes the contact between the elliptical or circular coil 32 ofthe canted coil spring 30 and the flat surfaces of the walls 17 of thegroove 16 (i.e., tangential or point contact between an ellipse or acircle and a square or a rectangle). As is readily apparent to a personof ordinary skill in the art, the greater the contact surface areabetween the coils 32 of the canted coil spring 30 and the groove 16, thegreater the bandwidth for flow between the shank 12 and the housing 14via the coils. For example, in applications where the canted coil spring30 functions as a heat transfer conduit or an electrical current conduitbetween the shank 12 and the housing 14, a larger contact surface areathan the contact surface area TC of FIG. 2A would provide greater heator electrical conductivity between the shank 12 and the housing 14. Asdescribed in detail in the following, a canted coil spring according toaspects of the present apparatus, system and method can increase thecontact surface area between the canted coil spring and the flatsurfaces of the walls 17 of the groove 16 as compared to the canted coilspring 30 of FIG. 2A. As described, the present apparatus, system andmethod may be understood to include a connector having increased contactsurfaces between a canted coil spring having a plurality of coils and apair of grooves defining a spring retention groove. The increasedcontact surfaces lower current or electrical resistance by providingmore flow paths between the retention groove and the spring.

Referring back to FIGS. 1B and 1C and also referring to FIGS. 2C and 2D,the canted coil spring 20 according to one exemplary embodiment includesa plurality of coils 22 that are generally canted at an acute coil angleα relative to a centerline C. At least one coil 22 has a non-circular ornon-elliptical cross-sectional shape (e.g., appears to have anon-circular or non-elliptical cross-sectional shape when viewed in thedirection of the centerline C). In the exemplary embodiment shown inFIGS. 1A-D and 2C-D, the canted coil spring 20 includes coils 22 thathave a substantially square cross-sectional shape (e.g., square withrounded corners) or a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape(e.g., rectangular with rounded corners) when the coils 22 are in anunbiased state. As used herein, unbiased state is understood to meanlack of external forces tending to cant the coils. Accordingly, whenviewed in the direction of the centerline C, which is the view shown inFIGS. 1C and 2B, the coils 22 of the canted coil spring 20 have foursections S that appear to be linear. The sections S may in fact have acurved shape or have a non-linear shape and may only appear linear whenthe coil 22 is viewed in the direction of the centerline C. The contactsurface areas LC between the flat surfaces of the walls 17 of the groove16 and the corresponding sections S of the coil 22, which is shown inFIG. 2D with dashed lines, is an area defined by a curved line S thatmathematically characterizes the contact between the section S and theflat surfaces of the walls 17 of the groove 16. Therefore, one ofordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the contactsurface area LC between the coils 22 and the flat surfaces of the walls17 of the groove 16 is greater than the contact surface area TC of thecoils 32 of the canted coil spring 30 of FIGS. 2A-B. According toaspects of the present apparatus, system and method, the larger contactsurface area between each coil is provided by the section S of the coilbeing bent toward the centerline so as to provide a more flat engagementarea with the flat surfaces of the walls 17 of the groove 16. Thus, thecoil may be viewed as having a first coil section formed along a firstplane and a bent section formed continuously with the first coil sectionformed along a second plane, which is at an angle with the first plane.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-D and 2C-D, the sections Shave an acute coil angle θ relative to the centerline C which is smallerthan the acute coil angle α. Coil angle α and coil angle θ may also bereferred to herein as the first coil angle and the second coil angle,respectively. Depending on the functional requirements of a canted coilspring in a particular application, a canted coil spring according toaspects of the present apparatus, system and method can be fabricated tohave one or more coils having a second coil angle that is less than orgreater than the first coil angle.

In one exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A-3D, a canted coil spring40 has one or more coils 42 which only have one section S that providesa contact surface area LC with one of the flat surface of the wall 17 cof the groove 16. As shown in FIG. 3B, the section S has a second coilangle θ that is less than the first coil angle α. However, as shown inFIG. 3D, the remaining portions of the coils 42 do not have any sectionsS with a second coil angle, and as a result, have a circular or anelliptical cross-sectional shape. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3A, thesection S on top of the coils 42 provides a contact surface area LCdefined by the line L between the coils 42 and the flat surface of thewall 17 c of the groove 16, while as shown in FIG. 3C, the remainingportions of the coils 42 provide contact surface areas TC (not shown)defined by points P between the canted coil spring 40 and the flatsurfaces of the other walls 17 of the groove 16.

In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A-4D, a canted coilspring 50 has one or more coils 52 which have two sections S opposite toeach other relative to the centerline C that provide contact surfaceareas LC with flat surfaces of opposing walls 17 of the groove 16. Asshown in FIG. 4B, the sections S have a second coil angle θ that is lessthan the first coil angle α. However, as shown in FIG. 4D, the remainingportions of the coils 52, which are the portions on the sides of thecoil 52, do not have any sections S with a second coil angle, and as aresult, have a circular cross-sectional shape or an ellipticalcross-sectional shape. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4C, thesections S on top and the bottom of the coils 52 provide contact surfaceareas LC between the coils 52 and the flat surfaces of the walls 17 cand 17 d of the grooves 16 and 18, respectively, while the remainingportions of the coils 52 provide contact surface areas TC (not shown)between the canted coil spring 50 and the flat surfaces of the walls 17a and 17 b of the grooves 16 and 18.

In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, a canted coilspring 60 has one or more coils 62 which have two sections S1 and S2opposite to each other relative to the centerline C that provide contactsurface areas LC1 and LC2, respectively, with flat surfaces 17 of twoopposing walls of the groove 16. As shown in FIG. 5B, the sections S1have a second coil angle θ1 that is less than the first coil angle α.The sections S2 have a second coil angle θ2 that is also less than thefirst angle α. However, in contrast to the embodiment of FIGS. 4A-4D,the second coil angle θ1 of the sections S1 on top of the coils 62 isdifferent than the second coil angle θ2 of the sections S2 on the bottomof the coils 62. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C, the sectionsS1 on top and the sections S2 on the bottom of the coils 62 providedifferent contact surface areas LC1 and LC2, respectively, between thecoils 62 and the flat surfaces of the walls 17 c and 17 d of the grooves16 and 18, respectively. The remaining portions of the coils 62, whichare portions on the sides of the coil 62, do not have any sections Swith a second coil angle, and as a result, have a circularcross-sectional shape or an elliptical cross-sectional shape as shown inFIG. 5D. These circular or elliptical portions of the coil 62 providecontact surface areas TC (not shown) between the canted coil spring 62and the flat surfaces of the side walls 17 a and 17 b of the groove 16.The spring 60 may be used in applications where initially the contactsurface area between one side of the spring and the flat surface of thecorresponding side wall 17 should be greater than the other side of thespring. For example, in the unbiased state of the spring 60 shown inFIG. 5B, the contact surface area between sections S1 and the flatsurface of the top wall 17 c is greater than contact surface areabetween the sections S2 and the flat surface of the bottom wall 17 d.However, as the spring 60 is compressed, the contact surface areabetween the sections S2 and the flat surface of the bottom wall 17 dincreases, which is a feature that may be preferred in certainapplications. For example, because the contact surface area at sectionS2 increases with compression of the spring, the sections S1 may providea preferred level of electrical conductivity through the spring, whilethe contact surface area S2 provides an increased preferred level ofconductivity through the spring, which can be achieved through increasedcompression of the spring. In other embodiments, the wall surfaces ofthe retention groove may be tapered or modified to increase surfacecontacts with the coils. In other words, the coils, the retentiongroove, or both may be modified to increase surface contacts.

In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a canted coil spring 70may have coils 72 a and 72 b that include sections S1 and S2 on one sideor the same side thereof with different second coil angles θ1 and θ2,respectively. For example, the coil 72 a may have section S1 with asecond coil angle θ1, while a second coil 72 b may have a section S2 onthe same side of the canted coil spring 70 with a second coil angle θ2that is different from the second coil angle θ1. Accordingly, the coils72 a and 72 b provide different contact surface areas LC (not shown)with the flat surface of the same wall 17 of the groove 16. The sectionsS2, which are shown to have a smaller second coil angle θ, are used toprovide high contact surface area with the flat surface of the wall 17in the unbiased state of the spring 70 and during moderate deflection ofthe spring 70. The sections S1, however, which are shown to have alarger second coil angle θ, provide a high contact surface area duringexcessive deflection. Thus, in the embodiments disclosed herein wherethe second coil angles θ on the same side of the canted coil spring varyfrom one or more coils to one or more other coils, the sections of thecoils associated with the varying second coil angles provide highcontact surface areas with the flat surfaces of the walls 17 fordifferent deflection ranges of the spring.

An example of a canted coil spring 70 according to the embodiment ofFIG. 6 is shown in FIGS. 7A-7B. The first coil 72 a as viewed from leftto right in FIG. 7A has a section S1 with a second coil angle θ1 suchthat the section S1 provides a contact surface area LC1 with the flatsurface of the wall 17 c. The second coil 72 b has a section S2 with asecond coil angle θ2 which is greater than θ1 and slightly less than thefirst coil angle α. Accordingly, the contact surface area LC2 betweenthe second coil 72 b and the flat surface of the wall 17 c is smallerthan LC1, yet greater than a tangential or point contact TC (not shown)of a typical canted coil spring 30 as shown in FIG. 2A. The third coil72 c and the fourth coil 72 d have sections S3 and S4 with differentsecond coil angles θ3 and θ4 which provide different contact surfaceareas LC3 and LC4, respectively. Therefore, in the exemplary embodimentof FIGS. 7A-7B, the coils 72 a-d of the canted coil spring 70 may havedifferent second coil angles θ1-θ4 in order to provide different surfacecontact areas LC1-LC4 with the flat surfaces of the walls 17.

In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 8A-8B, a canted coilsspring 80 has one or more coils 82 a-b with sections S1-S4, where one ormore of the sections have negative acute second coil angles relative tothe centerline C. The first coil 82 a (viewed from left to right in FIG.8B) has a second coil angle θ1, which is a negative acute angle relativeto the centerline C. In other words, the section S1 of the coil 82 aextends towards the centerline C rather than extending away from thecenterline C. Accordingly, two curved transition areas T1 and T2 (onlyarea T1 is shown in FIG. 8B), which define the transition areas betweenthe section S1 and S3 of the coil 82 a and 82 c and the remainingportions of the coil 82 a and 82 c, respectively, form two spaced apartcontact surface areas BC1 and BC3 between the coils 82 a and 82 c,respectively, and the flat surface of the wall 17 c. Depending on thesharpness of the curvature of the transition areas T1 and T2, thecontact surface areas may provide tangential or point contacts TC orline contact LC between the spring 80 and the flat surfaces of the walls17. For example, a slow or shallow transition curve T1 provides a linecontact area LC while a fast or shape transition T1 may provides atangential or point contact between the spring 80 and the flat surfaceof the wall 17 c. In this embodiment, the canted coil spring 82 is shownto have two coils 82 a and 82 c with sections S1 and S3, respectively,having negative second coil angles θ1 and θ3, respectively, and twocoils 82 b and 82 d with sections S2 and S4, respectively, havingpositive second coil angles θ2 and θ4.

In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 9A-9B, a canted coilspring 90 has coils 92 a that have circular or ellipticalcross-sectional shapes alternately arranged between coils 92 b that haveone or more sections S that when viewed in the direction of thecenterline C appear to have non-circular or non-elliptical shapes (shownin FIG. 9B). In this exemplary embodiment, both the coils 92 a and 92 bhave the same coil width CW. The coils 92 a and 92 b are not limited tothe alternate arrangement discussed above and can be arranged in anymanner in order to achieve a desired function for the spring in aparticular application.

In another exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 10A-10B, a canted coilspring 100 has coils 102 a that have circular or ellipticalcross-sectional shapes alternately arranged between coils 102 b thathave one or more sections S that when viewed in the direction of thecenterline C appear to have non-circular or non-elliptical shapes (shownin FIG. 10B). In this exemplary embodiment, the first coils 102 a have asmaller coil width CW1 than the coil width CW2 of the second coils 102b. In this exemplary embodiment, both the coils 92 a and 92 b have thesame coil width CW. The coils 102 a and 102 b are not limited to thealternate arrangement or the relative sizes discussed above and can bearranged and sized in any manner in order to achieve a desired functionfor the spring in a particular application.

Referring now to FIGS. 11A-11B, an exemplary method of fabricating acanted coil spring 110 is shown. The canted coil spring 110 may befabricated as a typical canted coil spring having the first coil angle αas shown in FIG. 11A by methods that are known to those of ordinaryskill in the art. During or subsequent to such fabrication, one or moresections S of one or more of the coils 112 are bent at a bending line BLin the direction of the arrow AR to the same or different second coilangle θ as shown in FIG. 11B. The coils 112 can be bent at the samebending line BL, which is shown as an example in FIGS. 11A-11B, or canbe bent at different bending lines (not shown). In FIG. 11B, only thetop portion of the coil 112 is bent at the bending line BL to providesections S. However, other sides of the coils 112 can be similarly bentin order to provide multiple sides on each coil having sections S forcontacting flat surfaces of one or more walls 17 of the groove 16 and 18at contact surface areas LC as discussed herein. For example, the cantedcoil spring 20 of FIGS. 1A-1D has coils 22 that are fabricated bybending each coil 22 on four sides to provide a square or rectangularcross section for each coil 22. In a further example, the canted coilspring 50 of FIGS. 4A-4D has coils 52 that are fabricated by bendingeach coil 52 on two opposing sides to provide two opposing sections S.In yet a further example, the groove 16 may be hex shaped (not shown).Accordingly, the coils of a canted coil spring can be bent on six sides(not shown) in order to substantially correspond to the hex shape of thegroove and increase contact surface areas between the canted coil springand the flat surface of the walls of the groove. Therefore, one ofordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the coils of acanted coil spring can be fabricated to have any shape so as tocorrespond with the shape of a groove and thereby increase the contactsurface areas between the coils of the canted coil spring and the flatsurface of the walls of the groove.

In the exemplary embodiments of the canted coil spring and method offabricating the canted coil spring discussed above, one or more sectionsof one or more coils of a typical canted coil spring are bent at thesame or various second coil angles in order to increase the contactsurface area between the coils and the flat surface of the walls of agroove. In these exemplary springs, a coil when viewed in the directionof the centerline C appears to have one or more sections that arelinear. As described above, however, these sections are in fact curvedand only appear to be linear when viewed in the direction of thecenterline C because they are bent at a second coil angle relative tothe centerline C. As discussed below, canted coil springs according toother exemplary embodiments are fabricated with one or more coils havingone or more actual linear sections in order to increase contact surfacearea with one or more flat surface of the walls of the groove.

In one exemplary embodiment, a canted coil spring according to aspectsof the present apparatus, system and method includes one or moresections of one or more coils that are linear so as to provide a linecontact with the flat surface of one or more walls of the groove 16.Referring to FIG. 12A, one or more coils 122 of the canted coil spring120 includes four linear sides SL that may have the same or differentlength so as to provide a square or rectangular cross-sectional shape.Accordingly, these coils 122 of the canted coil spring 120 areconfigured at the first coil angle α relative to the centerline C and donot have a section bent at a second coil angle relative to thecenterline C. Referring to FIGS. 12B and 12C, the contact areas betweenthe coils 122 and the flat surface of the wall of the groove 16 areactual line contacts. Although the canted coil spring 120 is shown tohave four linear sections, one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyrecognize that one or more coils 122 of the canted coil spring 120 canhave portions that are curved and sections that are formed as linearsegments.

A canted coil spring according to aspects of the present apparatus,system and method can provide thermal or electrical conductivity betweentwo parts, such as a connector having male and female parts similar tothe shaft 12 and the housing 14 of the connector 10 of FIG. 1A. Thermaland electrical conductivity for the canted coil spring at each coil,around each coil, and based on operative compression range of each coilor various lengths of the spring can be designed based on the particularrequirements of each application by providing similar or differentlevels of contact surface area between the coils and the male and femaleparts for different compression levels of the spring. The differentlevels of contact surface area in the unbiased state of the spring orduring compression of the spring can be achieved by varying themagnitude of the second coil angle at one or more sections on each coil,varying the magnitude of the second coil angles of one or more coilsrelative to other coils, and/or varying the coil widths andcross-sectional shapes based on an alternating or other patterns.

Although limited embodiments of canted coil springs and method offabricating the canted coil springs have been specifically described andillustrated herein, many modifications and variations will be apparentto those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is to be understood thatthe canted coil springs and methods of fabricating these springsaccording to principles described herein may be embodied other than asspecifically described herein. The canted coil springs and methods offabricating these springs are also defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrical connector comprising: a housingmade, at least in part, from an electrically conductive materialcomprising a bore and a groove located within the bore, said groovecomprising two sidewalls and a bottom wall located therebetween; a pinmade from an electrically conductive material comprising an elongatedbody positioned within the bore; and a canted coil spring positioned inthe groove of the housing and contacting the pin, the canted coil springcomprising a plurality of canted coils generally canted in a firstdirection relative to a centerline extending through the coils; whereinat least two of the plurality of canted coils, each when viewed in adirection of the centerline, comprises a curved first section along afirst path and defining a first contact surface area when contacting aflat surface, the first section being formed continuously with a secondsection bent in a second direction defining a second path different fromthe first path so as to define a second contact surface area that islarger than the first contact surface area between the second sectionand at least one of the housing and the pin.
 2. The electrical connectorof claim 1, wherein the at least two coils, each when viewed in thedirection of the centerline, comprises at least one linear segment thatprovides the second contact surface area between the second section andat least one of the housing and the pin, the second contact surface areabeing defined along a line.
 3. The electrical connector of claim 1,wherein the plurality of coils comprise at least one coil that, whenviewed in the direction of the centerline, comprises an elliptical shapeor a circular shape.
 4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein thegroove is a first groove, the connector further comprising a secondgroove comprising two sidewalls and a bottom wall located therebetweenformed on the pin and having the canted coil spring positioned therein.5. The electrical connector of claim 4, wherein the bottom wall of thesecond groove is tapered relative to at least one of the two sidewallsof the second groove.
 6. The electrical connector of claim 1, whereinthe second section contacts the groove of the housing, and wherein athird section on each of the at least two canted coils is bent in athird direction different from the first and second directions anddefining a third path different from the first and second paths so as todefine a third contact surface area that is larger than the firstcontact area at which to contact the pin.
 7. The electrical connector ofclaim 6, wherein the third section contacts a bottom wall of a grooveformed on the pin.
 8. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein thebottom wall of the groove of the housing is tapered relative to at leastone of the two sidewalls.
 9. An electrical connector comprising: a pincomprising an elongated body having a groove comprising two sidewallsand a bottom wall located therebetween; a housing comprising a borehaving the pin positioned therein; and a canted coil spring located inthe groove comprising: a plurality of canted coils generally canted in afirst direction relative to a center line extending through the coils;wherein at least two of the plurality of canted coils, each when viewedin a direction of the centerline, comprises a curved first section alonga first path and defining a first contact surface area when contacting aflat surface, the first section being formed continuously with a secondsection bent in a second direction defining a second path different fromthe first path so as to define a second contact surface area that islarger than the first contact surface area between the second sectionand at least one of the housing and the pin.
 10. The electricalconnector of claim 9, wherein the at least two coils, each when viewedin the direction of the centerline, comprises at least one linearsegment that provides the second contact surface area between the secondsection and at least one of the housing and the pin, the second contactsurface area being defined along a line.
 11. The electrical connector ofclaim 9, wherein the plurality of coils comprise at least one coil that,when viewed in the direction of the centerline, comprises an ellipticalshape or a circular shape.
 12. The electrical connector of claim 9,wherein the groove is a first groove, the electrical connector furthercomprising a second groove comprising two sidewalls and a bottom walllocated therebetween formed in the bore of the housing and having thecanted coil spring positioned therein.
 13. The electrical connector ofclaim 12, wherein the bottom wall of the second groove is taperedrelative to at least one of the two sidewalls of the second groove. 14.The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the second section contactsthe groove of the pin and wherein a third section on each of the atleast two canted coils is bent in a third direction different from thefirst direction so as to contact the housing.
 15. The electricalconnector of claim 14, wherein the groove is a first groove, wherein asecond groove having a bottom wall is formed in the housing, and whereinthe third section contacts the bottom wall of the second groove.
 16. Theelectrical connector of claim 9, wherein the bottom wall of the grooveof the pin is tapered relative to at least one of the two sidewalls. 17.A method for increasing the area of surface contacts in an electricalconnector, the method comprising: fabricating a wire in a canted helicalconfiguration thereby forming a plurality of coils canted in a firstdirection relative to a centerline extending through the coils, whereinat least one coil of the plurality of coils, when viewed in a directionof the center line, comprises a curved first section along a first pathand defining a first contact surface area when contacting a flatsurface; bending at least one section of the at least one coil in asecond direction to form a second section that is continuous with thefirst section, wherein the second direction defines a second pathdifferent from the first path so as to define a second contact surfacearea that is larger than the first contact surface area; and placing theplurality of coils in a groove comprising two sidewalls and a bottomwall so that the second section of the at least one coil contacts thebottom wall along the second contact surface area.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, comprising bending at least another section of the at leastone coil to form a third section bent in a third direction differentfrom the first direction.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the grooveis located in a bore of the housing.
 20. The method of claim 19, whereinthe third section contacts a bottom wall of a groove formed on a pinpositioned in the bore.
 21. An electrical connector, comprising: ahousing defining a bore; a pin positioned longitudinally in the bore; atleast one of the housing and the pin defining a groove communicatingwith the bore; and a canted coil spring disposed in the groove so as tocontact the housing and the pin, the spring comprising a plurality ofcoils canted in a first direction relative to a center line extendingthrough the coils; wherein each of at least two of the plurality ofcoils, when viewed in a direction of the centerline, comprises a curvedfirst section defining a first contact surface area between the firstsection and at least one of the housing and the pin, the first sectionbeing continuous with a second section angled in a second directiondifferent from the first direction so as to provide a second contactsurface area between the second section and at least one of the housingand the pin, the second contact surface area being larger than the firstcontact surface area.
 22. The electrical connector of claim 21, whereinthe groove is defined in the housing.
 23. The electrical connector ofclaim 21, wherein the groove is defined in the pin.
 24. The electricalconnector of claim 21, wherein the second section provides a firstcontact surface area defined along a first line on the housing, andwherein each of the at least two coils includes a third sectioncontinuous with the first section and bent in a third directiondifferent from the first direction and defining a second contact areadefined along a second line on the pin.
 25. The electrical connector ofclaim 21, wherein the second contact surface area is defined along aline.